One Year Later, the Fight for Fairness Hits the Streets

Workers are marking one year since CWA and IBEW contracts with Verizon expired, and the fight for fairness continues. Activists are taking it to the streets. Every member must get involved in this struggle now. We must Stand Up to Verizon in what has become a fight for our future—and the future of every American worker.

In a Town Hall call last week, CWA President Larry Cohen told workers that the union has a positive message for Verizon: “This is about making the company what it can be.” Cohen asked Verizon to invest. “Invest in communities. Invest in our jobs. Invest in our future. We will build the best networks there are. We will provide the best service that can be provided.”

Mediation in DC
In an effort to move negotiations forward, Verizon and its unions agreed to federal mediation on July 25. As of Monday, August 6, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) declared that talks have been constructive and some progress is being made, but “significant key issues remain to be resolved.”

According to President Cohen, union representatives are working twelve-hour days, including weekends, to move the talks forward, but the pace remains slow. The stakes couldn’t be higher for union members, their families, and all the communities that depend on reliable landline and FiOS services.

When more information about the mediation efforts is available, your bargaining committees will post updates at the District websites, http://district1.cwa-union.org/ and http://district2-13.cwa-union.org/.

Pressure on Verizon Intensifies
Workers are determined to keep the pressure on to force the company to resolve remaining disputes and keep middle-class families strong.

As the clock ticked down to the anniversary of contract expiration last Friday, workers throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast made their commitment visible. At worksites across the bargaining footprint, workers began practice picketing and held entrance rallies at Verizon worksites.